1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved set of handcuffs having a number of features, which facilitate their use. These features include, for example, a slightly larger bow for engaging a wrist of a person to be restrained where the envelope of the bow is defined by a conic path with an increasing arc, a rounded inner surface of the bow and cooperating arcuate cheek arms, cheek arms formed from a metal plate and having reinforcing ribs, a molded polymer covering surrounding the cheek arms and providing a round on the inner edge of the cheek arms which engage a wrist, interlocking tabs on the folded cheek arm forming plates, the folded cheek-arm forming plates which are covered by the polymer molding providing a non-riveted base frame and cheek arms, a flat on an outer surface of the bow for lining up a point of contact with a wrist, a removable lockset assembly for locking a pawl relative to ratchet teeth on the bow and including a slideable lock bar, key receiving structure on each side of the lockset assembly for receiving a key and enabling the key to be turned in one direction only for first unlocking a double lock, which prevents movement of the bow in either direction and for secondly, completely unlocking the handcuff by moving the pawl away from the bow and against a spring mechanism, a deflectable detent on a lockset housing for releasably locking the lockset assembly within the base frame of the molded cheek plate assembly, a swivel cup fixed in the base portion of the cheek plate assembly prior to polymer overmolding, and a swivel connected to a welded chain link and having a swivel a pin which is received in the swivel cup.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a large number of handcuffs have been proposed. Several prior art U.S. Patents disclosing previously proposed handcuffs and features thereof are set forth in the analogous and non-analogous U.S. Patents listed below:
U.S. Pat. No.PATENTEE4,314,466Harris4,574,600Moffett5,660,064Ecker et al.6,574,998Kwon6,672,116Hilliard
Prior art handcuffs are typically known to be heavy and include a cheek plate assembly made of metal plates which are cut to a desired shape and riveted together such that rivet heads protrude from the sides of the cheek assembly.
In view of the rivet heads protruding form the cheek plate assembly, it is hard to align the cuffs and to fold the cuffs flat.
Also, in many designs of prior art handcuffs, a swivel base for connecting one handcuff to another handcuff protrudes from the cheek plate assembly. Additionally the connector or swivel connected to chain links are fixed in a cheek plate assembly prior to riveting such that if one handcuff is defective after riveting, the whole set, i.e., both handcuffs, have to be discarded.
Further, in prior art handcuffs the lock mechanism is subject to damage such as the breaking off of key posts or pins, chipped teeth, fatigued springs, sticking of double-lock bars, rusting and clogging with debris which require complete replacement of the handcuffs.
Prior art handcuffs typically only have one keyway in the cheek plate assembly such that a user of the handcuffs has to be trained to always have the keyway up for inserting the key.
Also, the handcuff key is rotatable in both rotational directions for two different (locking or unlocking) operations leading to confusion as to which way to turn the key for a desired operation.
Often it is difficult to unlock the handcuffs on the street. Further, difficulty is often incurred in removing the cuffs, particularly, from large subjects.
In currently used handcuffs, the swivel connection to chain links is typically the weakest part of the handcuff when subjected to lateral pressure. Further, the swivel shaft of a two-part swivel often stretches, distorts, and even breaks.
Often times, the cheek plates and/or the bow of the handcuff have edges along the inside of the curved surface of the bow or cheek plates which can cause trauma or injury to a wrist.
Also, the curved envelope of the bow and the curved envelope of the cheek plates in conventional handcuffs often do not properly fit many wrists and sometimes not large enough or small enough.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the handcuffs of the present invention have high strength and are relatively light weight with an actuate conic-generated envelope design for the bow and for the cheek plates which provide handcuffs for accommodating a large wrist while at the same time being able to secure small wrists of juveniles and women.
The bow is preferably made of sintered metal powder with rounded inner edges and an outer flat contact surface. It is preferably polymer infused to prevent corrosion and absorption of body fluids, e.g., sweat.
Strength of the bow and cheek plates is maximized by the selection of an optimal combination of materials and heat treatment of the materials as well as design of frame geometry and provision of reinforcing ribs. Also, the use of a die stamped metal plate facilitates forming of a base frame and cheek plate arms of a unitized cheek plate assembly.
Furthermore, the use of a polymer overmold over the cheek plate frame produces a pair of a handcuff with rounded edges, beveled lock slots and beveled keyways. Additionally the polymer can be color coded to indicate the source of the handcuffs.
Finally, punching of track guide forming detents facilitates the forming of bowed or arcuate track guides for being received in track grooves in a toothed track portion.
Also, a unitized, replaceable lockset assembly is provided having a number of features including: a keyway on each side of a lockset assembly housing, a lock slot on each side, a slidable lock bar in side the housing with a locksetting slot aligned with the lock slots, color coding of the lock bar to facilitate locating same for inserting an actuating pin in the locksetting slot to move the lock bar between a single lock position and a double lock position, double locking of the teeth on the bow engaging teeth on a pawl, structure on the pawl and structure on the lock bar enabling a hand cuff key to be rotated in one direction only when inserted in either keyway and rotation in the one direction to move the lockset mechanism from a double lock position, to a single lock position and then to a completely unlock position.